Control mechanism for the opening and closing of containers



March 1 1949. H. CHABBERT A CONTROL MECHANISM FOR THE OPENING AND CLOSING OF CONTAINERS Filed Oct. 15; 1945 Naf -i Patented Mar. 1, 1949 AND oLosiNG oF CONT ERS Henri Shabbat-, Pau, BassesPyrnees, France, assignor to Kenneth T. Caplinge'r; Seattle',y

Wash.

Application october 13, 194s, seiiiii` No. 622,165' In France December 22, 1944 4 cisnes; (ci. 26e- 65 l The present invention is concerned withv containers and more particularly with lipstick holders. This invention has more specially for its objecta control mechanism for the means securing the opening and closing oi the holders aperture by which the lipstick can protrude.

The mechanism according to this invention comprises, substantially, the combination of an external handling piece protruding from one end of the holder, of at least one hemispheric cap located at the other end of the holder, of a control organ actuated by the rotation of the handling piece and adapted to be longitudinally displaced with respect to the holder, and of connesting means adapted to connect the control organ to the hemispheric cap or caps.

The' external handling piece .advantageously constitutes the bottom of the holder,` and is per manently connected to the latterso as to rotate with respect to said holder, round their common` axis.

The handling piece actuates the control organ through a pin compelled to be displaced in a slope of said control organ. Means are provided to secure a longitudinal displacement of said organ with respect to the holder but to prevent any rotation with respect to the same.

The pin which is displaced in a slope of the control organ is simultaneously compelled to be displaced in a second Slope and in a longitudinal slot respectively provided in two tubes co'-4 axial with the control organ, said second displacement securing the 11p-stroke of the lipstick.

According to a characteristic of this inventionr the control organ is connected to the closing means through a rigid piece, e. g. a metallic rod.

It is understood that the closing means may comprise a unitary cap member which, in being operated from the open to the closed position or vice versa, undergoes a movement of relatively high amplitude. It may also consist of two conjugated members of smaller dimension, each of which, in swinging to the desired position of adjustment, undergoes movement of smaller amplitude. In the latter instance, a connecting rod joins each of the members with the control organ.

According to' another' characteristic of the present invention, the two connecting rods are elasftically urged one towards the other. By way of example, said rods are made from a single metallic rod suitably bent, so that the inherent elasticity of the rod urges their free ends in the direction towards engagement one with the other.

The mechanism is set up so that the articulations of the rods on the caps are above the point where the caps are pivoted together when said caps are in the position of closing and below said point when the caps are in the position of opening'. The elasticity of the rods acts to maintain the caps in the position where they were brought.

Other characteristics of this invention will result from the following description of one embodiment thereof, with reference to the annexed drawing in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the lipstick holder in closed position with partsdiagrammatically illustrated and some in section. more clearly to illustrate the invention;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the lipstick holder `with the cap intermediate of the open and closed position; andv Figure 3 is arl elevational View" of they lipstick holder il'iop position.

I the drawing is illustrated a lipstick holder; As it is known, saidl holder comprises abody l", a central tube 2 slotted at 3; another tube 4 co# axi'al with tube 2 and in which is providedV an helicoidal slope 5, a handling knob 6 disposed atthe lower end of the holder and rigidly connected with thetube- 2, e. g'. by a rivet orY the like. The lipstick proper 8 is mounted i'n a thirdble (not shown) fitted with a radial linger 9 which extends"v through the helicoidal Slope 5 and the slot 3. These elements are already known audit is .also known that, by a mere rotation of thoha'ndiipg knop s, the lipstick proper a is lifted or lowered, the finger 9 cooperating with both the slot 3 and the slope 5". y

`According to the invention, acylindricalsleeve lo is provided codxiaiiy with the tubos 2 and 4. A finger' lllA rigidly connected with the tube 4 which is immovable with respect to the body or outside casing I as effected, for example, by meansof a joining cupshap`ed member 4d, pene'- netosu in o siodnot shown, of the sleeve In'. rn this 'sleevel is cut' an helicoidal slope I2A in which the finger 9 is also compelled to move.

The slope 5 comprises a first descending part i3' and an vascending part I4, and the slope 'I2 is.l an ascendant. 'rwjo rigid rods Ital e are iinkod di n on thesieove i0, and oooh of'whion is linked, at its opposed end on o'I shdttersuoh as is; I9 which are pivotally mounted together on the cupi shaped member 4a, and having' b'yexainple the shape of a spherical cap.

The rods |5-I 6 are made from a length of steel wire convenientlybent and the points 2 I-22, at which they are linked to the caps, are located above the articulation 20 of the caps, in the position of closing (Fig. 1), and under said point When the handling knob 6, which is supposedv to be in the "position shown on Fig. 1, is rotated, the linger k9 is rst compelled to .go down along the portion I3 of the slope 5. The sleeve I9 is so urged downwards at a great speed through the pressure exerted bythe finger 9 on the lower part of the slope I2. The lipstick proper has not yet initiated its upward movement which will only begin when the finger 9 will be in the portion I4 of the slope 5. At this moment, the sleeve I0, refrained from being rotated, by reason of the finger II, has been downwardly displaced. Through the action of the rods IE-IG, the two spherical caps I8 and I9 have been compelled to swing round their common hinge 20, as shown in Fig. 2, liberating the aperture 24 of the holder. If the knob E is kept on rotating in the same direction, the sleeve I is led to its maximum downward position,which results in the complete opening of the two caps, while the finger 9 keeps on ascending involving the coming out of the lipstick 8 (Fig. 3).

The rotation of the handling knob 6 in the reverse Sense, brings on the downward displacement of the lipstick S, the nger 9 being displaced along the slope 5 only; then, the rotation being prolonged, said nger gets into contact with the upper edge of the slope I2, which induces the upward displacement of the sleeve I0, so that the two caps begin to close the aperture 24 while the lipstick is ending its downward movement in the holder. If the knob 6 is kept on rotating, the linger 9 enters the portion I3 of the slope 5 and the sleeve I0 is broughtto its upper position; the lipstick remains motionless and the caps. I 8-I9 are joined togetheragain. The mechanism is returned in the position shown in Fig. 1. y

By reason of the elastic pressure exerted on the caps by the rods I5-I6, the holder can only be closed or open, but never half-closed.

What I claim is:

1. Opening and closing mechanism for a container, more specifically for a lipstick holder carrying the lipstick on a thimble, which comprises, in combination, an external handling piece protruding from one end of the holder, two arcuate caps pivotally mounted at the other end of the holder for swinging movement between positions opening and closing the end of the holder, a control organ mounted for guided longitudinal movement with respect `to the holder and having an inclined slot therein, a longitudinally slotted tube rigid with said handling piece, another con-centric tubular member rigid with said holder and having a slot with a irst downturned portion and then a helical upturned portion, a pin rigid with said thimble and cooperatively` engaging each of said slots whereby turning movement of said handling piece effects longitudinal movements` of said pin and said control member, and rigidrods positively vconnecting said control organ with s'aid closing caps.

2. Opening and closing mechanism as. claimed in claim 1, in which the rigid rods connecting said control organ with said closing caps are constantly urged in the direction towards engagement one with the other.

3. Opening and closing mechanism for a container, more specically fora lipstick holder carrying the lipstick on a thimble, which comprises, in combination, an external handling piece protruding from one end of the holder, two arcuate caps pivotally mounted at the other end of the holder for swinging movement between positions opening and closing the end of the holder, a control organ mounted for guided longitudinal movement with respect to the holder and having an inclined slot therein, a longitudinally slotted tube rigid with said handling piece, another concentric tubular member rigid with said holder and having a slot with a first downturned portion and then a helical upturned portion, a pin rigid with said thimble and cooperatively engaging eachV of said slots whereby turning movement of said handling piece effects longitudinal movements of said pin and said control member, and at least one elastic V-shaped member, the base of which is rigid with the control organ and the free ends are respectively linked to each of the closing caps.

4. Opening and closing mechanism for a container, more specifically for a lipstick holder carrying the lipstick on a thimble, which comprises, in combination, an external handling piece protruding from one end of the holder, two arcuate caps pivotally mounted atthe other end of the holder for swinging movement between positions opening and closing the end of the holder, a control organ mounted for guided longitudinal movement with respect to the holder and having an inclined slot therein, a longitudinally slotted tube rigid with said handling piece, another concentric tubular member rigid with said holder and having a slot with a first downturned portion and then a helical upturned portion, a pin rigid with said thimble and cooperatively engaging each of said slots whereby turning movement of said handling piece effects longitudinal movements of said pin and said control member, and at least two rigid rods elastically urged one toward the other and operatively connecting said control organ to said closing caps, the articulations of said rods on said closing caps being above the point where the caps are pivoted together when they are in the closed position, and below said pivotal point when they arein .the open position.

HENRI CHABBERT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

Parkin Apr. 3, 1934 Peterson Oct. 13, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Nov. 5, 1930 Number Number 

